Catch with assembled spring



B. H. MATTHEWS Erm. 2,737,407

CATCH WITH ASSEMBLED SPRING Filed July 8, 1954 March 6, 1956 United States Patent vcATcHiwlrH AssnMBnED-SPRING .BeniaminrH.,Matthews, Chagrnzlalls, .andGalemLLarir.more,Cleveland, Ohio, assignors :toA The LangenauMfg. i'Company, Cleveland, Ohio, l acorporation of` Ohio Application July` 8, 1954,"Se'ral N 0.5132169 z claims. .tenaz-112s) `=Tliis`finvention relatesl generllyitohadwareland-more `4-part-iciilarly Ato latches and `-the like.

n-bject o'f this invention isrto providev a'la'tch-in -whih '-all parts may be lpretabricated"before fuse and ""then-quikly-and easily assembled Wfor' use.

`Another'object of this vrinvention is to fprovide alatch which is "constructed of standardized sections which can "be assembled'by snapping the-respective'sectionstogether in sucha'manner that they cannot y'be'disassembled with- "outi'thefuse of special equipment.

further objectof this invention is'tOj provide-apivotal l-latth-which may be readily assembledwithout'the useo'f especial tools.

.A'still further object is`toprovide' agpivotalda'tch which 1maylb'e finally assembled without "th'euse of any 'tools "whatsoeven 3Another vobject of the present:invention*isto'provide a"'latchcharacterzed by its structural simplicity, the ease of assembly Vof its parts, its strong and sturdy nature ,and itslow manufacturing cost. Other features o't` 'this invention reside in the arrangement and design of the parts ."for 'carrying out their appropriate functions.

"Other 'objects and advantages of this 'invention will be .apparent from the accompanying drawings `an'd.de -scr'iption and the essential features willlbe set forth Ain theappended claims.

"In Vthe drawings, y

Fig. l is a sectional View through one embodiment of -the improved latch and a coacting catch .mountedin the walls of alid `and`base respectively .of .a .'box withthe `latchinits latching position butnot .engaging .,thelcatch;

Fig..'2 is an enlarged top plan view.of.,the1atch ,taken -along.'the.plane ,of line .2--2 .of lFig. .1;

'Ll-iig. `3 'is an :enlarged verticalelevational .view of .the `latch taken .along theplanelof .line v 1*--3 .of eFig.. -l;

Figs. .4,.5 .and .61are enlarged Central sectional views disclosing the -movements Arequired in :assembling A.the latch .member :into .the .aperture of -.the anchoringgplatq oseillatoryaboutits pivot pin. v Y

Although the present invention YAmay be `applied .in ,.manywaysyit .hasbeen chosen to illustrate :itin-.connecttion .with thellid and `base walls of aboX.`

.The :latch generally .shown at i1() is vmountedf-inwa .recess .11..of vthe wall 12' carried by the boxzlidand-is.adapted tosengage a1catch shown at 14 in Fig. fl. :The-:catch E14 .isnt-.provided with screw threads .14a Von :its periphery :whichaare adapted `to secure it in .the base'wall =-15-.of'.the box. The catch'is .provided with annular anges ..1411 ,.inrits-.borefor engagement .by the dependinghookz-shape I.po1:'tion.of,latch 10. Y,

Theflatch 10 includes .ananchoring platel secured to the `wall 12 by screws 17 or otherfastening means jpassing through chamfered screw openings in the .plate '16, as seen in`Fig.`3. The anchoring plate 16 is stamped or'provided from sheet material and .may have any Asuit- ;blejperipheral form. A rectangular opening l16a'ispro- `'v'it'ledin the anchor plate to receive "a xshield member ice N t ,.2 31'8 therein The shield =meniber '-118 may vbe lcut or stampedf from Aafsiiigle *"s'heetfof material and bentf'in sb- 'stan'tillfy 2U-form, :as illustrated 5in' lFig. "3. yThe -siiild rmember 1811's providedewithftab"members Sawhch'ex- 5 tend upwardly through anchor plate 16 on oppositefsides fff aperture 16a. Shoulder' `rstops-'181) and-locking "ears '18aV arefprovided nfon 'fthefshield member lsf-to retain the *shield 'memberin1a 'desired position upon the anchor "plate '11.6. "The ftab 'members g18a `are rprovided --with I"aligned lopeiiings which erece'ive -a -"transversely lextending i pivotl'lpin "20.

'latch *member "is Lnormally carried by the `anchor plate '1'6. "The 'latchmember Ais'generally `L=shape and vl'h'a's fafun'iform thickness It consists mainly 'of three f-portiens v"21, 22 'and 2'3 as tdefined bytthe dot-dash lines 'fet eilig-"76. "The Iirstlportion '21 forms-afp'vottfor 'oscill-atin'g theV lathf-'arid:includesethat zone defined generally by the' Vapex =or "intersection 'f. "the two' legs 'of the L. ffheesecondpordm 22 ""inludes 1Vthe'catch engaging hook 221whicheextends"downwardly 3through the aperture 16a vbetween'ihe sidewalls of shield '18"to a zone below the anchor jplate *16 `where `the hook '24 iengages the lower annular v"iiange" or rim "14b in "the catch 14. Ingeneral, itis "th'a't lleg -of the L `-which extends "below the yanchor 25 plate 1'6.' The third portion 2'3 includes 'that leg'of' tlre L'L-v'vhi'c`h"'lies above rtheanchor plate16 and has 'a'.handle "2-5 attached to--`its' end. Thehandle 25 "protrudes from fthezrecess 1-1 to "a Apoint y'beyond the 'wall 12 'so .as to facilitate `manual 'operation d'f'the "l'atch'rnem'ber. .The

:handle '25 may' be 'o'f "any'fsuitble *shape 4'It 'may "even r4be anextension of the part 2'3.

yl'lig. ll-elealy 'shows "the 'central portion :of the 'latch -menib'er wherein the first portion'2`1 is "located between the second and ythirdjpor'tions '22 "and 23 respectively.

D fAn extension 2`6 Iis jprovided at "this zone and contains'a not'chfor'cutout`27in'thefgeneral shape of ahalf 'feirele ltherein. A'Upper andilower shoulders'28 and '29 respectively-are formed 'on'opposite vsides .of the notch or cutout 27. These shoulders play 'a very important `part in lthe Jpivotal mounting of the'latchf member. vThe '-upperfshoulder ZSengages'a substantial portion ofthe `upper circumferential sur'fa'ceof fthe pin'20, as shown 3in1-Figs. v1 'and-6. r'lfhisshoulderis apivotingprojection atthejunction ofthe-upper and lower legs ofthe L-shape `-lat`ch"-memoer andserves as 'a flcrum 'on the pivotipin "2'01'as *the latchmemberis moved "from a latching toa nonlatching position, i bym'ovement of. handle v.25. The 'lower-sh`oulder29 issubstan't'ia'lly shorter than thellpper shoulder 28 and Yser'vesfa's 'a retaining means tokeep the T'latch'c'oniined "to' the pivot'A pin 20.during its'pivotal movement.- Together theupper andlower shoulders envelop Y substantiallyl half'or slightly more of -he circumferential fsurface'of the vpivot pin 20. ,"Shoulder 29 prevents any `-tendency to liftthe extension 26 off of thepin 20.in .a generally vertical plane. It should be noted'that .the

'bottom ofshoulder 29 .is sloped at ..30 tointersect the second portion 22 of theLlatch member. The purpose of this construction will vbe more fully described .hereinafter. vInorder'toprevent thelatchffromsliding away from thepin '20 in a horizontal direction, resilient means l"is'provided operativelyeonnected betweenthe latch mem- Yberand thetabs 18a. In thewpresent disclosure, it takes `-the form of `spring 3,2, as best 'illustrated .in Figs. 4

through '6. The spring comprisesgenerally an elongated vstraight leg portionZa which is ypermanently I,fastened to the third portion '23 of the latch member :at .a point "32c"a`ljacent`the handleiZS. 'The other end of thespring .32'is bent downwardly and partially back uponitseltto 'mjform Ia hooked .anchor end .3211. "Ihe .elongated leg Aportion of the 'spring extendsfrom .theypoint 32e where 'itis secured to thelatch,.alongandspaced .from the Vtop 'dicated by the vertical arrow of Fig. 5.

surface of the latch member in the direction of notch 27. The spring 32 begins to curve into the hooked end at a point substantially above the upper shoulder 28 and continues to curve downwardly to a point slightly below the lower shoulder 29, as seen in the position of Fig. 5. It should be noted that the hook portion of the spring 32 lies a spaced distance beyond the notch 27 and shoulders 28 and 29.

When assembled, as shown in Figs. l and 6, the hooked end of the spring extends around the tabs 18a to a point where the distal end of the hook portion engages the intersection of the ends of tabs 18a and the upper surface of the anchor plate 16. The latch member is prevented from being horizontally displaced from the pivot pin 30 by spring 32 which anchors itself upon the tabs 18a and prevents horizontal movement `of the latch member. The spring further acts to normally urge the upper leg of the latch downwardly toward the top surface of the anchor plate 16. The downward force created by spring 32 results from biasing its hooked end 32h during assembly. It will be seen in Fig. 5, as the hooked end 321) is forced downwardly over the tabs 18a the hook is spread open or enlarged and becomes biased and strained. In attempting to resume its normal position, a downward force is exerted upon the third portion 23 of the latch member causing it to normally assume a latching position. It should be further noted that the distal end of hook 32h engages the tabs 18a at a point below the center line of the pivot pin 20. This construction adds a factor of safety by insuring that the hooked end 32b will not slip over the top of tabs 18a during use. The anchor plate 16 also provides a convenient abutment for the distal end of hook 32b, when the spring becomes tensioned, as the latch member is raised to a non-latched position. The

lextent to which the latch may be raised is limited by the edge 22a of the second portion 22 of the latch member, as seen in Fig. 6, engaging the end of aperture 16a.

It should be understood that pin 20 is permanently assembled (as by riveting) in the tabs 18a before assembly of the other parts. This attachment of piu 20 is easily made by use of the proper tools after part 18 is connected to anchor plate 16.

To assemble the latch for operation, the tabs 18a are inserted into the rectangular aperture 16a until the stop shoulders 18h of the shield 18 come into contact with the bottom surface of anchor plate 16. The locking ears 18C are then bent over tightly against the upper surface of anchor plate 16. The shield member is thus held in place. Pivot pin 20 is permanently assembled between the tabs 18:1. The latch member (including attached spring 32) is easily assembled into the aperture 16a of the anchor plate 16 by following the sequence of operation shown in Figs. 4, and 6 of the drawings. First, the latch member is rotated counterclockwise until it assumes the position shown iu Fig. 4 whereupon the catch engaging hook 24 of the second portion 22 is lowered into the aperture 16a. Second, the latch member is rotated clockwise until it reaches the position shown in Fig. 5 wherein the second portion 22 of the latch is lowered into the aperture 16a. The hooked end of spring 32 now abuts the upper edge of tabs 18a, as seen in Fig. 5. Further downward pressure is then applied to the upper surface of the third portion 23 of the latch member, as in- By thus pressing the latch member downwardly, initial tension is placed 'upon the spring 32, because of the bias given to the hook portion 32h as it slides downwardly along the outer end ot' tab 18a. Continued pressing causes the lower shoulder 29 to abut the upper surface of pivot pin 2i), whereupon a slightly greater pressure must be exerted to cause the spring to give just enough for the latch member to shift horizontally to the right from the position in Fig. 5, whereupon the sloping lower surface 36 of shoulder 29 will cam the shoulder 29 to clear the pin 20 and the pin will then snap into the notch 27 under the influence of a strong retractive force from spring 32, and assume the nal operative position shown in 1Eig. 6.

The latch is now permanently assembled and merely reversing the above procedure will not result in the disassembly of the latch. This is necessarily true because the lower shoulder 29 has a very sharp outer edge at the point of the intersection of notch 27 and the sloping undersurface 30. This edge does not furnish the wedging action in disassembly, as did the sloping surface 30 during assembly. Therefore, a vertical thrust of the same degree, but in the opposite direction of that used in assembling the latch member will not disassemble the latch. The pivot pin 20 must rst be removed before the latch can be disassembled.

It should be apparent that the latch can be readily and quickly assembled without special tools. Assembly costs are low because the parts are easily snapped together without need of skilled help. The operation of this latch is similar to any conventional latch. When lid 12 is dropped, the rounded lower cam surface on the catch engaging hook 24 engages either the upper or lower flange or lip 14b in catch 14 to swing the latch member counterclockwise from a latching to an unlatching position until the hook member clears the annular ange and aligns with the bore of the catch 14. The spring 32 then rotates the latch member clockwise about pivot pin 20 into a latching position. The hook 24 engages the upper ange 14b if it is desired that the lid be onlyrpartially closed, and the lower flange if a tight seal between the lid and base is desired. For unlatching, the handle 25 is forced upwardly or in a counterclockwise direction, as viewed in Figs. l and 6, against the bias of spring 32. This action pivots the latch member around the fulcrum provided by the upper shoulder 28 and pivot pin 2i), whereupon the catch engaging hook 24 clears the annular flange 14b so that the box lid can be raised.

In view of the foregoing description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, it is believed that a clear understanding of the construction, operation and advantages of the device will be quite apparent to those skilled in this art.

lt is to be understood, however, that even though there is herein described a preferred embodiment of the invention, the same is susceptible to certain changes fully comprehended by the spirit of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. In a latch adapted to engage a catch with said latch including an anchoring plate having an aperture therethrough, including a latch member movable be tween latching and unlatching positions and having a first portion forming pivotal means for oscillating said latch, a hook-shape catch engaging portion on a second portion of the latch member located on the catch side of said aperture extending swingably through said aperture and having a handle on a third portion of the latch member located on the opposite side of said aperture for pivoting said latch member, and including two tab members spaced on opposite sides of said aperture extending upwardly from said anchoring plate; the combination of a pivot pin extending between said tab members, an extension on said rst portion between said second and third portions, said extension having a pivotal notch cut out, said notch formed by two shoulders on said extension, said latch member positioned with the extension between the spaced tab members, said shoulders being spaced apart a distance slightly in excess of the thickness of said pivot pin and straddling said pivot pin to permit oscillation of said hook portion, spring means operatively connected between said latch and said tabs, said spring comprising a generally straight leg portion and a hooked anchor end portion, said hooked portion extending spacedly around said tab members and engaging said tabs on the side of said pivot pin straight arm portion normally urging said third portion toward said retainer plate, and said hook portion to a latched portion, the upper of said two shoulders being longer than the lower shoulder, the lower shoulder being provided with a cam surface whereby said latch may be oscillated in one direction to engage said hooked anchor end of said spring with said tab and then oscillated in the opposite direction allowing said cam surface of said lower shoulder to slide over said pivot pin, said pivot pin thereby snapping into said notch, disassembly being impossible without removal of said pin.

2. In a latch adapted to engage a catch with said latch including an anchoring plate having an aperturek therethrough, including a latch member movable between latching and unlatching positions and having a first portion forming pivotal means for oscillating said latch, a hook-shape catch engaging portion on a second portion of the latch member located on the catch side of said aperture extending swingably through said aperture and having a handle on a third portion of the latch member located on the opposite side of said aperture for pivoting said latch member, and including two tab members spaced on opposite sides of said aperture extending upwardly from said anchoring plate; the combination of a pivot pin extending between said tab members, an extension on said rst portion between said second and third portions, said extension having a pivotal notch cut out, said notch formed by two shoulders on said extension, said latch member positioned with the extension between the spaced tab members, said shoulders being spaced apart a distance slightly in ex- 6 cess of the thickness of said pivot pin and straddling at least half the circumference of said pivot pin to permit oscillation of said hook portion, spring means extending from said third portion along the top surface of said latch toward said tabs, said spring comprising a generally straight leg portion and a hooked anchor end portion, said straight leg portion being fastened to said latch member along the top of said third portion, said hooked portion extending around said tab members and engaging said tabs on the side of said pivot pin opposite that engaged by said pivotal notch and yieldingly constraining said latch against said pin, said straight arm portion normally urging said third portion toward said retainer plate, and said hook portion to a latched position, the upper of said two shoulders being longer than the lower shoulder, the lower of said two shoulders being provided with a cam surface, whereby said latch may be oscillated in one direction to engage said hooked anchor end of said spring with said tab and then oscillated in the opposite direction allowing said came surface of said lower shoulder to slide over said pivot pin, said pivot pin thereby snapping into said notch, disassembly being impossible without removal of said pin.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 495,412 Hiser Apr. 11, 1893 497,813 Pease May 23, 1893 604,786 Pletcher May 31, 1898 793,199 Kelly June 27, 1905 

